Secret Santa
by Velocity3127
Summary: All of the juniors at Marino High are participating in a Secret Santa gift exchange, and Austin and Ally are really excited! But when feelings get complicated and presents go missing, it's up to them to figure things out.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I'm finally back, and this time with a multi-chap! So I didn't have any inspiration for the longest time, and exams and robotics are the busiest. My robotics team just qualified for the championship tournament, so that's been on my mind 24/7 instead of my studies. You might be wondering,** ** _how does any of this have to do with fanfiction?_** **Well, I started robotics in the fifth grade, and it's been amazing since then. Fifth grade was also when I realized that my writing skills could use some improvement, after I got 60% on my English creative writing exam. Basically, this new multi-chap is based on that creative piece I wrote way back on that exam. I hope I did better this time! This story is really important to me, because I hope it shows how I've improved and still am improving on my writing skills. Any feedback, positive or negative, is really appreciated. And don't worry. I've got** ** _plenty_** **of bad feedback on my first draft of this back when I was 10.**

* * *

Ally laughed as she watched her best friend run around the store, looking for something to buy. He had persuaded her to go shopping with him, and she had sighed and reluctantly agreed. All juniors at Marino High were doing a Secret Santa gift exchange, and they had to buy something for each of their Secret Santas. Austin, apparently, had drawn a girl's name and was shopping in the jewelry store store. Ally didn't think that her Secret Santa would really appreciate jewelry.

"Ally! Look at this one!" Austin exclaimed, running up to her.

He was holding yet another sparkly necklace, this one silver and very Christmasy. She turned around and gasped. It was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. She wished she could buy it for herself.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "I wish I could buy it for myself, but you should definitely buy it for your Secret Santa. I'm sure she'll love it."

"Yeah, I think so too." he replied with a small smile.

"Who is she?" she asked.

"Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly. "We said we wouldn't tell each other. It's a surprise, remember?"

"Right, I remember." she sighed.

She had established the rule herself. They would even keep it a secret from each other, so it was more fun when they revealed in front of everyone. Of course, that wasn't why she had established the rule. She, of course, had drawn Austin in the Secret Santa draw.

"Well, what are you going to buy for your Secret Santa?" he asked her. "What store do you want to go to?"

"I think... Sonic Boom." she replied.

"Sonic Boom? But we're in the Miami Mall! It's the biggest mall around, and you want to go back to your store?" he said, astonished.

"Yeah, but I think I know what to get." she replied. "Come on, let's go!"

He hurriedly ran over to the cash register to pay for the sparkly silver necklace that he chose. It was under the $100 limit, but not by much. He shook his head at the thought. Of course, being a pop star, he had the money for that, but some of his classmates probably didn't. It was absurd! $100 was too much. Nevertheless, he was happy that he was able to buy it. But he probably would've bought even if it was over the price limit.

"Do you want me to wrap this?" the man at the cash register asked.

"Um, could you just get a box for it?" he asked.

The man nodded. He left to the back room and returned shortly with a small box with the necklace in it. There was even a bow on top.

"Thanks," Austin said, taking the box.

Ally looked wistfully at it. If only she could have the necklace! But, of course, it was his Secret Santa's. Besides, she already had lots of nice jewelry.

"Ally! Let's go to Sonic Boom now!" Austin exclaimed, getting her attention again.

She nodded as she ran after him back to the music store. If only he knew!

They arrived shortly back at Sonic Boom, Austin grinning and turning around to see Ally running the last few steps, completely out of breath.

"So, what are you buying for your Secret Santa?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, I-" she panted, still trying to catch her breath.

"I mean, there's not much here for under $100," he continued, "and knowing your dad, nothing's going to be on sale."

"Well, I-" she tried again.

"Unless you wanted to get music books?" he continued, apparently not hearing her. "But what if your Secret Santa doesn't already play music?"

Here she smiled. Of course her Secret Santa played music!

"Actually, I was thinking of something else." she said, walking towards the back of the store.

"Where are you going? What are you getting?" he asked giddily. He was really excited.

She emerged from the depths of the back room with the coolest ukulele he had ever seen. It was white, like snow, but with red and green patterns all over it. It reminded him of Christmas! And he wanted that ukulele more than anything.

"That is _so cool_!" he exclaimed. "Your Secret Santa will _love_ it! Hey, is there any chance that you have any others of those? I would love one! I could have a Christmas concert!"

"Uh... actually, we only have one." she lied.

His face fell. He knew it wouldn't be right to ask if he could have it instead of her Secret Santa, but surely she cared about him more than some random kid that she maybe had one class with!

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her face lighting with a new idea. "Actually, you know what, I think we're getting a delivery of more Christmasy instruments in about a week! Maybe you could get one then! Or maybe you'd find something even cooler!"

She mentally patted herself on the back for coming up with something that fast.

"But I thought your dad only likes to get deliveries once a year? To save, what, $4.36? And I thought that delivery came this past summer?" he asked, confused.

Oh. She had forgotten about that.

"Well, I told him that we should probably get more Christmas-themed stuff," she improvised. "So this is the only exception."

He smiled in understanding. "Awesome! Yay! I'm going to get a cool ukulele! And maybe a cool guitar, too! Hey, do you think there's going to be a cool piano?"

He didn't wait for her reply as he ran out the door, saying something about how he was going to tell Dez. She laughed and shook her head as she watched him excitedly running somewhere else. She never really understood him, running everywhere and always super excited about something or other, but it was okay. They were best friends, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you like it so far! I know it was a little short, but hey, the original wasn't even a page long. I could only stretch it out so much. I hope I can get the next chapters up pretty soon, but in the meantime, constructive criticism is really appreciated! I'm not sure what was wrong in the first place, so I need everyone's help to improve:)**

 **One last thing, if you could answer the poll on my profile page, I would really appreciate it! I know this is already a new multi-chap, but I want to see what I should write. And if you have any inspiration for new fics, any type, please PM me or review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: here is the next chapter! I had a day off from exams and I was able to write a ton:) From the feedback so far, this apparently isn't the worst thing I've ever written, so that's awesome. If there's anything that you don't like, though, please review and let me know so that I can improve:)**

* * *

A week had passed since Austin and Ally went shopping for their Secret Santa presents, and they arrived at school in the morning, surprised to see all of the Christmas decorations, which had been put up overnight.

"Ally! Austin!" Coach Simmons called, getting their attention. "If you have your Secret Santa presents, just put them in the corner of the gym. There are already a few presents there, so you'll see it."

They nodded asked they walked together towards the gym, smiling at all of the Christmas decorations that they saw along the way.

"Hey!" someone called loudly, and they both jumped and stopped walking. "You two are under the mistletoe!"

They both looked up and Ally blushed.

"I don't know... I mean, I don't think..." Austin stuttered, recognizing the awkwardness of the situation.

They had dated briefly, and it had failed, but now they were just back to being friends in a gray area. It was more than a little confusing.

"Come on!" Dez called. "You know the rules of mistletoe!"

"Dez, really?" Austin exclaimed. "Come on, you know we're just friends! It would be awkward-"

He was cut off when Ally stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the lips before running off. A reverberating "ooh" could be heard through the hall as he blushed and ran off after her. She ran far enough when she abruptly cut down a corner and smiled as she watched him speed past her, heading towards the gym.

She looked up and caught her breath, until she realized that she was in a hallway full of freshmen.

"Ally Dawson? What are you doing here?" one of them asked, confused.

"Yeah, you're a junior! Shouldn't you be getting ready for your first period class?" another asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I have chemistry."

She smiled weakly as she remembered that Austin was _not_ in her advanced chemistry class. He _was_ in her second period Spanish class, but she would worry about that when the time came. Better to avoid the awkwardness for now.

"Sorry for interrupting, guys." she said to the freshmen, "See you all later!"

They all confusedly waved goodbye as they watched her walk away to the chemistry lab, passing her classmates on the way there. They were still buzzing about the kiss. Stuff like that didn't happen every day. She saw Sun Hee enter the lab, and quickly followed after her. At least a dozen students not in her chemistry class followed.

"Hey, Ally, so you and Austin are together again?"

"What was up with that kiss?"

"Austin _loves_ you!"

She blushed at all the comments, especially the last one. She knew that it wasn't true. Heck, he didn't even _like_ her as anything more than a friend. Sun Hee only looked mildly annoyed at the sudden intrusion of the normally quiet lab.

"Kids, to your first period classes!" Mr. Conley called from outside.

They all left slowly, but not without a few more "oohs" and teasing. Ally only sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Ally, of course, was the first student to get to her second period class, Spanish.

"Hola, Señora Gomez," she greeted her favorite Spanish teacher.

"¡Hola, Ally!" she replied. "Cómo estás?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but was suddenly cut off by the sound of many loud boys entering the classroom. She rolled her eyes. _Boys._ She gulped when she saw Austin enter the room, smiling and oblivious to everything.

"Hi, Señora Gomez! Sorry if I'm late-"

"Señor Moon, en español, por favor." she replied.

"Huh? What? I don't know Spanish! Ally, what does that mean?" he said, genuinely confused.

Teacher and student alike sighed in unison. Some of the other students just laughed. Austin shrugged and took a seat right next to his best friend. _He_ obviously wasn't the target of the teasing. She sighed. It was already a long day.

Señora Gomez began to speak, starting the lesson, when the door crashed open and Trish slowly and loudly entered the classroom, speaking in fluent Spanish to no one in particular. Normally, teachers would love a student who could speak the language so well, but Señora Gomez just sighed and glared angrily at her. Trish really was a terrible student, behaviorally speaking, and it slowed the whole class. Somehow, though, she always got top marks. It frustrated all of the Spanish teachers to no end.

* * *

Ally went straight to Sonic Boom after school. It had been a brutal day, mentally and physically. Every time she was within thirty feet of Austin, she endured relentless teasing. Everyone was convinced that they liked each other, and she couldn't convince them otherwise. Physically, well, she had gym class last period and Coach Simmons wasn't exactly known for being easygoing.

"How was school today, honey?" her dad asked.

"Well, dad, actually-"

"Great! You always love school." he replied, not bothering to hear her answer. "Well, take good care of the store. I'm going to the food court! It's free samples hour!"

She sighed. Sometimes it felt like no one cared about her anymore. She knew that her dad loved her, but he always assumed that she was doing fine. He wasn't someone that she could reach out to. She was avoiding Austin for the time being, so a no on that, too. And Trish and Dez were just teasing them more than ever. She felt alone.

"Hey, Ally!" Trish called walking loudly into the store and up to the counter. "So... tell me everything about you and Austin!"

"It was just a kiss!" she sighed. "Why is everyone making such a big deal out of it?"

"Because you two totally like each other!" she replied excitedly. "Didn't you tell me that yourself when Austin was about to leave for his national tour?"

"Trish, come on, that was half a year ago! I don't feel that way anymore!" she said defensively.

"How do I know that?" she countered. "As far as I'm concerned, your chemistry has only gotten more intense. The tension between you two is so thick, you couldn't even cut it with a knife!"

"Trish, that's not the saying-" she sighed, "you know what, that's okay. You say what you want to say."

"All I'm saying is, Ally, maybe you should stop shutting out your feelings and start thinking about how you _really_ feel." she suggested, serious for once. "It'll be the best for both of you. Look at you right now! You won't even talk to Austin. Admit it, you've been avoiding him all day because you're afraid that you'll fall for him if you get any closer."

"Okay, I've been avoiding him, but that's not why!" she said. "It's just so that people will stop teasing me!"

"But they'll tease you _anyway_ , Ally." she replied. "Think about it, would you really care so much about the teasing if you really didn't have feelings for him?"

"No, I'm just afraid that... I'm afraid that..." she stammered, trying to find the right words.

"You're afraid that you'll get your heart broken, and you're afraid that you won't be able to go back to being friends this time." Trish stated, reading her mind perfectly.

Ally slumped down against the counter and sighed. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"No, it's not a bad thing!" Trish replied, pulling her up to stand straight again. "Ally, I _know_ he likes you, too. But both of you are too scared to admit it."

"No," she said abruptly, eyes widening.

"What?"

"No," she repeated, quieter this time. "I can't do this."

She turned around and ran up the stairs to the practice room, shutting herself inside. Trish frowned. What was that all about? She turned around to see Austin and Dez walking in, Dez carrying a sprig of mistletoe.

"Look, Dez, we're just friends!" the blond exclaimed. "Her day's been awful, with everyone teasing her. Just give her a break! I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for her! Think about Ally!"

"You care so much about her, just admit that you like her already!" he argued.

"No! We're just friends, and I care about her! I don't want her to suffer, and that's what you're doing. You're making her suffer!"

"But she _likes_ you!" he objected. "And you like her! You two are just too scared to admit it!"

"Okay, fine!" Austin cried, exasperated. "Sure, maybe I like her a little. It's clear as day, of course you guys caught on to that. But she only sees me as a friend, and our friendship is what matters to me the most. Dez, don't you _dare_ tease her. Tease me as much as you want, but not in front of her. She's really upset, you know."

Dez was too moved by his true concern for Ally to even tease him for the time being. Austin was his best friend, and if he really wanted to stop people from teasing Ally, Dez wasn't going to be the one to mess up his wishes.

Meanwhile, Trish just smiled. This was how it was meant to be.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you like it so far! I know this chapter doesn't really have much to do with the Secret Santa part of this story, but I had to throw in an Auslly sub-plot, you know? Hopefully I can write the next chapter within the next few days, but no guarantees. In the meantime, constructive criticism is appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Here is the next chapter! I hope you like it, but as always, constructive criticism is appreciated!**

* * *

She sighed as she remembered the necklace. It seemed like it had been so long since that day that they went shopping, but in reality, it had only been just over a week. If only things could be as simple as they were only mere days ago!

Ally knew that she liked Austin as more than a friend, but she also definitely didn't want to risk their friendship. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't try to ignore all of the tension between them anymore; it was already too intense. But she couldn't say anything to him, because she wasn't sure if he really felt the same way. She knew he felt _something_ for her, but she wasn't sure what it was. All she knew was that she was not willing to have her heart broken, especially not if it ruined the most important friendship of her life.

"Alright kids, good job for figuring out this whole Secret Santa thing!" Coach Simmons called, getting everyone's attention. "Now I'm going to pass this over to Kimmy to explain how this whole thing is going to work."

He blew his whistle loudly before Kimmy walked up to the front of the gym to explain how the whole gift exchange would work.

"Okay, Marino High juniors!" she exclaimed. "I hope everyone has their Secret Santa presents ready, because today we are going to be giving them to our Secret Santas! Now, I know some of you have brought your presents here already, but some of you haven't. If you haven't, you can go get them quickly. Quickly! Give me a Q! Give me a U!"

About half of the teenagers, one of which was Austin, left the gym as Kimmy cheered for them to hurry up and return. Coach Simmons just sighed. However, Kimmy's cheering seemed to help, as all of the students returned to the gym within a few minutes.

"Alright, everyone's finally back!" she exclaimed in a fake-cheery voice. "Next time, try to do it faster! But that's okay!"

Ally wasn't really listening as she recapped the whole idea of the gift exchange. Instead, she was watching Austin. He, of course, had just returned from getting his present, which Ally knew to be the beautiful silver necklace that he had bought while they were shopping together.

"To make this even more interesting, there's going to be a twist!" Kimmy announced. "To make it even more of a surprise, everyone come get a box to put your present in! Then, write the name of your Secret Santa on it, but make sure no one sees! At some point in the afternoon, your present will be delivered to you, and _you won't even know who it's from_!"

A murmur rose from the crowd of students. They hadn't known about this twist! Suddenly, everyone started talking at the same time.

"Excuse me, Marino High juniors!" Kimmy called. "Please quiet down!"

It didn't help. If anything, the talking grew louder. Kimmy sighed, then Coach Simmons blew his whistle again. The gym quickly quieted.

"Don't worry, at the end of the day, come meet in the gym so that the Secret Santas can be revealed!"

"What's the point of giving the gifts only a few hours before the Secret Santas are revealed?" someone called.

"Yeah, and it would be more personal if we got our gifts directly from our Secret Santas!" someone else added.

Kimmy frowned. "Hmm. You're right! You know what, just meet in the gym right after school to get your presents directly from your Secret Santa!"

"Why don't we just give them out now?" someone suggested.

"Because it's more fun this way! There's more suspense!" she replied, unfazed now. "Now, everyone come up to get a box for your presents, write your Secret Santa's name on it, and bring it to Coach Simmons."

"Kimmy?" Austin interjected. "My present is already in a box, so do I have to put it in another box?"

"Yes!" she replied, getting a bit annoyed but still keeping up the peppy voice. "Just get a box that's just a bit bigger. Now, everyone, let's get boxing!"

There was a bit of confusion and more than a little grumbling from annoyed teenagers, but eventually the job was done and Coach Simmons was standing next to a large pile of presents. Most of them were boxes about the size of Ally's, that is, ukulele-sized. Austin's was much smaller, and there were a few that were much bigger. Dez's, for example, was almost Coach Simmons' height. Trish just rolled her eyes at the gigantic box. No one knew what was inside, but it probably wasn't anything nearly that size.

Ally glanced over at the pile and realized that she really couldn't tell from afar which box was the ukulele. Kimmy had a good idea, making all the presents look the same. She was pretty sure she could still tell which was the necklace that Austin bought, though. And of course, she could tell which was Dez's present for his Secret Santa. Other than that, though, the boxes all looked too similar.

"Thanks, everyone!" Kimmy cheered. "Now, please come down to the gym after school! You don't want to disappoint your Secret Santa!"

* * *

 **After school**

Even the most reluctant of Marino High juniors eventually arrived in the gym as soon as school ended. Kimmy, of course, was the first to arrive, but the last few students to arrive only showed up a few minutes later. Coach Simmons just sighed and wished that he hadn't agreed to organize the Secret Santa exchange with Kimmy.

"Okay, Marino High juniors!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to be calling you up one by one in random order! Please come up quickly to get your present! Now, when your Secret Santa gets called up, please reveal your identities as well! For example, if I got Coach Simmons a present, and he got called up, I would say, 'I am your Secret Santa!' Understand?"

There were some nods and some grumbles at Kimmy's unusual methods, but she already began to pick up a present.

"The first present is for... Chuck McCoy!" she exclaimed.

Chuck walked up and took the medium-sized box from Kimmy.

"Alright, so who was Chuck's Secret Santa?" Kimmy asked after no one called.

"I am your Secret Santa," a voice from the back of the gym said.

Somehow, no one could exactly tell whose voice it was, but most people assumed it was B.B. Chuck only looked confused.

"Next present!" Kimmy exclaimed. "For Ally Dawson!"

Ally walked up to Kimmy and took the medium-sized box. She couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed, since it wasn't the small box that only Austin's present could fit in.

To everyone's confusion, Austin called, "I am your Secret Santa!"

There was a bit of chatter amongst the students, but Ally just looked down at the box that was clearly _not_ the one that Austin had. He looked up, then he saw it, too. He frowned. That wasn't the present he had wrapped for Ally. She walked over to him and sat down as Kimmy called up the next names.

"That's not the present I got you," he mumbled, confused. "I put it in the tiny box! But I wrote the label with your name! Somehow it must have gotten moved!"

Ally frowned. "Should I tell Kimmy?"

"Open it to make sure it didn't just get moved into a bigger box to match all the others." he suggested.

She complied and opened the box, not sure what to expect to see. What she _did_ see was exactly what Austin had suggested. It was a smaller box inside the original one. They both smiled. Her stomach fluttered as she took out the smaller box, already knowing what was inside, but pretending to be surprised as she opened it. When she opened it, though, she didn't have to pretend to be surprised.

She gasped in shock. His eyes widened. Suddenly, Kimmy's voice called out.

"Austin Moon!"

* * *

 **Author's note: Dun dun dun! What happened? Well, the story summary kind of gives it away. But if you don't know what's going to happen, you'll just have to wait for the next update, which will probably be up tomorrow! Until then, feedback is appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: here is the next chapter! I know this is an Auslly story but most Auslly fans are also Raura shippers so I'm going to say one thing. Andrew has been getting a lot of hate from Raura shippers lately because he has blond hair (like Ross) and some people got into an argument with this random mean girl about Landrew vs. Raura. It's probably more complicated than that, but to all the Raura shippers out there: we have no proof that Andrew is even half as mean as that girl or that he even knows that girl. For all anyone knows, she could be a random person who just likes getting into arguments. We also have no proof that Andrew ever mistreated Laura or was mean or anything. Don't hate him. Yes, he could be a reason why Raura hasn't gotten together yet, but that's no reason to hate him. Just think about it: what do you _really_ know about him?**

 **To all the readers out there who aren't Raura shippers: that won't be relevant to you, but please still don't hate anyone.**

* * *

"I am your Secret Santa!" Ally exclaimed as he took the box from Kimmy.

Neither of them were exactly excited. Austin's present for Ally was missing, and both of them were more than a little disappointed. He didn't even have it in him to be surprised that her present was for him.

"What's going on?" he whispered as he sat back down next to her.

"I don't know," she replied a bit sadly. "Just open your present."

He already knew what it was, of course. It was the ukulele. He couldn't even begin to be excited about the instrument he had dreamed about for a week, because somehow Ally didn't get the beautiful necklace that she wanted. Reluctantly, he opened the box, but as soon as the lid came off, both of them frowned again. It wasn't a festive ukulele at all. Instead, in the box lay a pair of sparkly pink flip-flops.

"That is _not_ what I got you," Ally mumbled.

He couldn't help but laugh. Of course it wasn't what she got him, but even if it was, it would've been funny. And it still _was_ funny! Seeing him laugh made her smile, but she was still disappointed at whoever had messed up the whole thing.

"Do you think Kimmy switched all the presents?" she whispered.

He looked around at the other students. Some had already received their presents and didn't look too happy. Others were watching their friends opening presents and didn't look too happy, either. Kimmy just looked worried and confused at the negative reactions.

"What's wrong?" she said from the front of the gym. "Why is everyone so sad? We need to be happy! It's Christmastime! We need to be jolly!"

"I don't think so," Austin finally said. "Kimmy has no idea what's going on."

"True, she organized the whole thing." Ally said. "She probably doesn't want everything to go wrong."

"Maybe it was Coach Simmons!" he exclaimed quietly. "He's seemed really annoyed at this whole thing, this whole time! He probably never wants to have to help out with another gift exchange again!"

"He's coming this way," Ally pointed out.

"Dawson! Moon! What's going on?" he boomed. "Are those flip-flops?"

"Yeah, Coach Simmons, something went wrong." Austin replied.

"I got Austin a ukulele, not flip-flops." Ally continued, "And my present box was empty."

"Now, Austin, were you so inconsiderate as to not get a present for your girlfriend?" Coach Simmons said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"She's not my girlfriend- never mind. No, I got her a necklace! But it wasn't in the box when she opened it! I promise, Coach Simmons, it was in there before!"

"I believe you, Austin. Not sure about the flip-flops, though. Dawson, did you really get your boyfriend pink flip-flops?"

"He's not my- never mind. No, I got him a Christmasy ukulele! We went shopping together!" she replied.

"Kimmy!" he called loudly.

"Yes, Coach Simmons, what's the matter?" she asked.

"Dawson and Moon here had a mix-up with their presents. Did you do anything to the boxes?" he asked.

"No, you just left them in a pile that I took them from to hand out to everyone. I just read the labels on the boxes and handed them out to everyone. Maybe some of the labels fell off onto other boxes?"

"It doesn't seem like it." he replied. "Alright, Kimmy, hand out the rest of the presents, then we'll figure out what went wrong."

"My present box was empty," someone called.

"Yeah, mine, too!"

"Mine only had a cookie in it, and that's not what Didi got me!"

"Mine had a ukulele in it! I don't even take music."

"Hold on!" Ally exclaimed. "A ukulele? As in a white ukulele with red and green patterns on it? With a sticker on the back that says _Sonic Boom_?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" the girl, Piper, called back.

"Because that's the present that I got for Austin!" she replied. "Unless anyone else bought a limited-edition Christmas ukulele from Sonic Boom?"

"Wait, I thought you only said that Sonic Boom only had one ukulele-" Austin interjected.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone else bought a ukulele." she continued. "So somehow my present got switched for Piper's present!"

"Well, Margo said she got me-"

"Flip-flops?" Ally guessed. "Maybe, I don't know... pink sparkly flip-flops?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I got!" Margo exclaimed. "How did you know?"

"Because that's what was in my present box!" Austin exclaimed.

"Alright, we really need to figure out what happened." Coach Simmons announced, after quickly going around and talking to every student.

Everyone agreed.

* * *

"Maybe we could check the security footage of the gym?" Ally suggested.

Most of the students had left already, after giving up on solving the mystery of the messed up gift exchange. Only Austin, Ally, Dez, Kimmy, Piper, Carrie, Chuck, Brooke, and Margo remained.

"Good idea, Dawson." Coach Simmons said. "Now, I don't know how to get the footage, but you can probably ask Mr. Conley. He should be in charge of this stuff. Do you kids want to go talk to him? He should be in his office."

They all nodded and left the gym as a group and headed towards Mr. Conley's office. They didn't have to go that far, though. He was dancing in the hallway. They stood, watching him, unsure of what to do. Finally, Kimmy spoke up.

"Excuse me, Mr. Conley?"

"Oh, yes, kids, what do you need?" he asked, suddenly noticing them.

"We were wondering if we could take a look at the security footage for the gym," Ally said.

He frowned. "Why? Students usually don't get access to confidential information like that."

"Well, we had a Secret Santa gift exchange." Kimmy explained. "All of the presents were mixed up or even missing. We're afraid some of them were stolen, and we want to know what went wrong."

"Why don't you ask Coach Simmons? He's always in the gym, anyways." he suggested.

"Coach Simmons told us to ask you, Mr. Conley." Brooke scoffed.

"I see. Look, kids, it's against school policy to let students view security footage of certain parts of the school, but I can check for you." he finally said. "Is that okay?"

"That would be great!" Kimmy exclaimed. "Thanks so much, Mr. Conley!"

"No problem." he said, walking to his office.

"I hope Mr. Conley finds out what happened to the presents," Dez said. "It would've been so awesome!"

Meanwhile, Brooke was talking quickly to Austin, who looked like he really wanted to get away from her. Ally laughed a little. She and Brooke had something in common. They both liked Austin. Other than that, though, they couldn't be more different.

"Brooke, maybe you should leave Austin alone," she said.

"What? Trying to steal my Austin from me? He's not _your_ boyfriend now, is he?" she said, frowning.

"Well, no, but he's not yours, either," she replied. "And he looks _very_ uncomfortable."

Brooke continued to talk about everything Austin-related and how they were still dating. They weren't. Dating Brooke was Austin's biggest regret in his sixteen years of life so far, other than breaking up with Ally. She didn't know that, though.

"Kids, I have bad news." Mr. Conley said, returning from his office.

"What?" they said in unison.

"There was no one in the gym all afternoon except for Coach Simmons and a couple of other students, and they didn't even go near the present boxes." he said. "They were all the way on the opposite side of the gym. There was really no way that they could've tampered with them."

"So what happened?" Austin asked, to no one in particular. "What happened to the presents?"

No one had an answer.

* * *

 **Author's note: What happened to the presents? Well, you'll have to wait for the next update to find out. Unfortunately, that won't be for at least a few days. School exams just ended, but I have a Christmas concert thing in two days and rehearsals all of tomorrow (because I'm in 6 musical ensembles, of course). Hopefully it'll be up within a week, but no guarantees. In the meantime, constructive criticism is appreciated! I'm glad this is apparently better than my original piece:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Merry Christmas! Or if you don't celebrate Christmas, happy holidays! Sorry it took a bit of time to update, but I had a whole lot of things going on. This is the last chapter of Secret Santa, and thank you to everyone who is reading this! It means a lot to me:)**

* * *

"This is very serious," Coach Simmons sighed.

The day after the Secret Santa mishap, no one had an answer. None of the students had admitted or even seemed suspicious of stealing and switching presents, and Coach Simmons believed that each and every one of them was innocent. Normally it would be foolish of a teacher to trust students so much, especially when they were the prime suspects, but none of them could have done it. Besides, Mr. Conley had already confirmed that it wasn't any student.

"But I don't see how it _couldn't_ be a student!" Kimmy objected. "I mean, I don't suspect anyone in particular, but who else could it be? It sure wasn't you!"

"That's true," he sighed. "If it wasn't me, it could only have been a student. But who could it be?"

"I think it's B.B." she said. "She's always hiding in the shadows and hating things. She seems like a thief to me."

"I thought you said you didn't suspect anyone, Kimmy." he sighed again.

"Well, I don't suspect her, but I think if it had to be anyone, it would be her." she stated defensively.

"What about Dawson and Moon, though? Not to mention their crazy red-haired friend. They could be up to no good."

"Dez is really weird, but I don't think he's nearly smart enough to pull off something like that." she replied. "And I'm almost sure that it wasn't Austin or Ally. They're too cheery! They couldn't do something like that."

"Kimmy, just because someone's cheery doesn't mean they can't do bad things." he replied, seeming very exasperated. "Look, we need to figure out what happened, and this conversation isn't helping. Now, your first period class is going to start soon, so you should probably go. See me at recess to discuss again, and email me if you make any big progress. I'll email you if I find anything out."

"Okay, thanks, Coach Simmons!" she exclaimed, skipping off to her first period class, English.

He sighed. Kimmy was exhausting to be around, but somehow he still wanted to help her with the whole gift exchange. It made him happy to see a student with enough initiative to organize something for the whole grade and stick with it, even when everything went wrong. Maybe it was also because he didn't want to be blamed for anything going wrong, since he was the teacher in charge of it.

* * *

"Attention, Marino High students." Coach Simmons' voice boomed through the announcements right before first period began. "The juniors were organizing a gift exchange for their whole grade, but presents have gone missing and the boxes have been tampered with. If anyone has information about what could have happened, please contact either me or Kimmy. Thank you."

The announcement brought Ally back to attention, after daydreaming about Austin. She couldn't help how she felt about him, and especially not now that he was being twice the concerned and caring boy she knew. He was just too sweet. Around her, though, were several seniors in her history class. She was so smart, she was a grade ahead, but that meant that she had to sit in class with a bunch of condescending seniors.

"Juniors had a gift exchange?" one of them asked.

"Hey, Ally, what happened with that gift exchange thing?"

Soon the class was erupting with conversation and Mrs. Daniels had to call more than once to get the students' attention. Ally could hear Dez yelling about something or other outside of the classroom. Somehow, she knew it would be an interesting day.

"Ally, did _you_ steal the presents?" someone asked, snickering.

She just rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Thanks for coming out here, kids." Coach Simmons said to the small group of students.

Precisely, the group of students consisted of Kimmy, Ally, Austin, and Dez. Their group was slowly dwindling as their peers lost interest in finding the stolen presents and figuring out who messed with all of the presents.

"I have some very bad news," Kimmy announced.

Everyone waited in silence for her news, until Coach Simmons impatiently said, "Well, what is it?"

"I talked to our school facilities managers, and they said that the security cameras in the gym were removed a week ago and are going to be replaced in a few days. So how did Mr. Conley see everything from those cameras?"

"Maybe he installed his own cameras," Austin suggested.

"But he doesn't know how to do that!" Kimmy replied. "Besides, he has to talk to our facilities managers if he even wants to install anything."

"And if he was ever in the gym, I would have noticed," Coach Simmons pointed out.

"That's so weird," Austin said with a frown. "Why would Mr. Conley lie to us?"

"Maybe he wanted us to _feel_ safe even though there were really no security cameras," Ally suggested.

"Maybe he was too lazy to even check," Dez said.

"Maybe he stole the presents," Coach Simmons said.

Everyone kept talking for a few more seconds, not really registering Coach Simmons' comment. Then they all turned to face him in surprise.

"Do you really think Mr. Conley messed up the gift exchange?" Kimmy asked. "I mean, I always try to see the best in people. I don't see how he could've done it! Especially you, Coach Simmons, why would you suspect him?"

"I guess it makes sense," Dez mused. "Mr. Conley's always been a little weird. Have you seen his dancing?"

"Just because he's weird doesn't mean he's a thief," Ally countered. "Remember when we thought Austin stole stuff in the mall, a few summers ago? He was kind of weird, but he didn't turn out to be a thief."

"Hey!" Austin exclaimed defensively. "I'm not weird!"

"I'm not saying you are," she replied.

"Okay," he said simply, giving her a hug.

It seemed like a simple act of friendship, to give her a hug after a short argument. In reality, Austin _really_ needed to have some sort of physical contact with Ally. They had been avoiding each other a little, and both of them were too tentative to approach each other about their feelings. He needed to do _something_. An immense amount of relief and satisfaction flooded over Ally as Austin put his arms around her, and she couldn't help but hug him back, much tighter than would be friendly. He nearly sighed as she rested her cheek on his chest.

"Awww," Kimmy said, smiling. "You two are so cute!"

They both blushed and separated as they realized that they were still supposed to be discussing the prime suspect, Mr. Conley. It didn't go unnoticed that they were still holding hands.

"Why would Mr. Conley purposely mess up our gift exchange?" Austin asked.

"Maybe he was jealous of the giant teddy bear that I bought," Dez offered.

"Dez, I'm sure he wasn't jealous of your giant teddy bear," Ally sighed. "There has to be a better motive!"

"Maybe he just wanted to prank us," Austin suggested.

"That's not very nice!" Kimmy exclaimed. "Mr. Conley is usually so nice!"

"Maybe it wasn't Mr. Conley at all," Coach Simmons said.

"You were the one who suggested that it was him," Ally told him with visible confusion.

"I know, Dawson, but you can't assume that it was him without proof." he replied. "I said it _could_ be him, but I'm still not sure."

"Who else could it be?" Austin asked. "Think about it, Mr. Conley was suspicious from the time he told us we couldn't look at the security tapes. Of course, there were no tapes at all! Then he lied to us about them! It was definitely him."

* * *

"Mr. Conley, did you mess up our Secret Santa gift exchange?" Dez shouted.

"I'm sorry, Dez, what did you say? I'm afraid it was much too loud for me to hear." he replied.

Ally, Austin, Dez, and Kimmy decided to confront Mr. Conley in his office because they were sure that he was the thief. He, however, was not being very cooperative.

"I said, did you mess up our gift exchange? Did you steal presents and switch boxes?" Dez repeated.

"Of course not, don't be silly, why would I do that?" he replied.

"Because you were jealous of my teddy bear!"

"Or you wanted to prank us!" Austin added.

"Because Coach Simmons suspected you," Ally offered.

"So was it you?" Kimmy asked.

"No, of course not! I already told you that!" he replied, seeming astounded. "What on earth gave you that idea?"

"Coach Simmons," Ally repeated.

"Coach Simmons thought I would steal presents?" he asked. "He doesn't trust me much, does he. No, kids, it wasn't me! Why would I even steal your presents? It's not like I would even want a sterling silver necklace."

"That's true," Dez and Kimmy said at the same time.

" _A sterling silver necklace_?" Austin and Ally repeated instead.

"Mr. Conley, how would you know that's what I got Ally, if you weren't the thief?" Austin challenged.

"Because she said that's what was stolen." he replied. "Look, kids, I have things to do, so good luck finding your thief, but it's not me."

"Then what about the security tapes?" Austin challenged again. "You lied to us and said that you didn't see anyone. Of course you didn't see anyone; the cameras were broken!"

"And I didn't tell anyone that the necklace was stolen!" Ally exclaimed. "Besides Austin. Austin, did you tell anyone?"

"I promise, I didn't tell anyone!" he replied, then added quietly, "I didn't really talk about the gift exchange with anyone. Everyone was teasing me about liking you, so I sort of avoided talking about you."

"Well, Ally, you must've told someone, because I overheard you talking about it." Mr. Conley interrupted. "I'm sorry, kids, but as I said before, I'm not the thief."

"Are you sure?" Dez continued interrogating him. "Even if you're not, you eavesdropped on a student. That's pretty rude, Mr. Conley, and I know for a fact that you didn't just overhear because Ally was shouting. She's pretty shy, you know, especially when it comes to anything involving Austin."

She blushed. "That's not true, I just-"

"Don't deny it, Ally." Dez cut her off. "You like him, but you're afraid to say anything. And Austin, don't deny that you like her, either."

"Can we talk about this later?" Austin said, obviously embarrassed. "For the moment, Mr. Conley, if it absolutely wasn't you, then who do you think it was?"

"I told you, kids, there was no one in the gym. I have no idea."

"Right, back to the security cameras!" Kimmy exclaimed. "The security cameras in the gym were removed before the Secret Santa reveal, and they still haven't been replaced. Mr. Conley, I'm sorry, but I think this pretty much proves that you lied to us to cover up your crime."

"Why did you do it, Mr. Conley?" Austin asked.

"Was it because you were jealous of my teddy bear?" Dez asked. "Or was it a prank? It was the teddy bear, wasn't it?"

"Fine, I'll admit it. It was me." he said, to everyone's shock. "And I wasn't jealous of your teddy bear or pranking you. I only wanted to test how well you kids could work together to solve a problem. I can tell that you four are really dedicated to helping out your friends and peers. Marino High loves you for that. That's why I'm going to name you all official Marino High ambassadors!"

"Aw, man!" Austin exclaimed. "That sounds awfully scholarly and school-ish!"

Ally laughed at his reaction. "That sounds so cool!"

"It just means that you four get to do cool stuff, like design the school website." Mr. Conley explained. "You can opt out at any time, but we'll need you when you're seniors to lead the school. You're all really clever, dedicated, and perseverant, and that makes you good leaders, too."

"Thanks, Mr. Conley, that means a lot." Ally said with a smile. "But can we please have our presents back?"

"Of course," he replied. "And, Kimmy, I'm sorry for causing chaos. I definitely went overboard with the switching boxes."

"That's okay, we had a lot of fun figuring this all out!" she exclaimed.

He opened a drawer in his desk and revealed a small box that Kimmy and Dez had never seen. Austin and Ally, however, recognized it immediately.

"Here, Austin, I think you should take this." Mr. Conley said, handing the box to him.

"What is it, Austin?" Kimmy asked.

He didn't reply, but turned to face Ally with a shy smile. "Ally, you already know what's in here, but... Merry Christmas. This is for you."

Ally smiled shyly back at him as Dez and Kimmy gushed about the moment.

"Open it, Ally!" Kimmy exclaimed.

"Aw, this is so cute!" Dez said.

Ally carefully opened the box, already knowing what was inside, and this time, it was really the necklace. It was even prettier than she remembered. She gasped, despite being fully prepared for the moment.

"Austin, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, pulling him into another tight hug.

"You're beautiful," he murmured.

He intended it to be under his breath, but it was still loud enough for her, and everyone else in the room, to hear. Dez and Kimmy cheered as Mr. Conley searched through his drawers for the rest of the presents. Ally felt an incredible warmth surge through her. Austin thought she was beautiful.

"And, Ally, I think you should take this." Mr. Conley interrupted, handing her a medium-sized rectangular box. "I took it back from the gym for safekeeping. Looks like Piper didn't appreciate it."

"Austin," Ally said with a blush, "this is for you. You already know what it is but I hope you like it anyway."

He opened the box with a flourish, and sure enough, it was the ukulele that he had adored and dreamed of. It was finally his, but more importantly, it was from the most important person in his life.

"Like it? I love it!" he exclaimed. "Ally, thank you! I love it so much!"

"And I love _you_ so much," she whispered as he hugged her.

At the sound of that, he couldn't stand it any longer. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with all the love he had. They had been keeping their feelings shut for months, but they had only grown. Finally, it felt right.

"I love you, too," he replied with the utmost sincerity.

"Merry Christmas, Austin."

"Merry Christmas, Ally."

* * *

 **Author's note: The end! I hope you liked it! The original sure was terrible, but without it, I would never have even tried to improve my writing. That's why this story is so special to me. Even if you don't think this was great, I totally understand, and constructive criticism is appreciated! I hope it doesn't sound like I'm desperate for reviews, which I'm really not, but I just want to see if I improved on the piece of writing that I most wanted to improve on for many years by now:)**


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